Dahlia ‘Gallery Art Deco’
It is Friday, 62 degrees Fahrenheit at midday, with showers and a bit of fog after a morning of heavy rain. During one brief lull I stepped outdoors into drizzle and onto squishy earth for a few much-needed minutes of garden nourishment.
Shasta season has long been over but fresh blooms appear sporadically.
Leucanthemum x superbum (Shasta Daisy)
My mother’s cousin Virgie’s everlasting sweet pea, originally passed along to me decades ago, has had its best year ever in the 19 years growing in this garden.
Lathyrus latifolius (Perennial Sweet Pea)
This red salvia is not particularly showy but hummingbirds stop over on most days.
Salvia greggii ‘Furman’s Red’ (Autumn Sage)
Dahlias seem to be trying to make up for lost time.
Dahlias
Dahlia ‘Gallery Art Deco’
Dahlia ‘Gallery Art Deco’
Dahlia
Dahlia
Zinnias, usually the mainstay of my summer garden, remind me I have to find a way to rabbit-proof the borders, a daunting task.
Zinnia
This week P. at Petals and Wings (blog and Instagram) generously shared lavender irises with me. I am so excited to see them flower and experience their fragrance next spring, but first the ground needs to dry so I can get them planted. Meanwhile a white reblooming iris is getting battered by rain today.
Iris germanica ‘Immortality’
Bees enjoy spiderwort but I have to work to keep it from taking over the garden.
Tradescantia (Spiderwort)
I planted this itea four years ago. Its presence has been decidedly understated until now.
Itea virginica ‘Sprich’ LITTLE HENRY (Virginia sweetspire)
A native purchased at the North Carolina Botanical Garden in 2012 this rudbeckia produces small, misshapen flowers, yet it shouts happy to be here.
Rudbeckia fulgida (Orange Coneflower)
This salvia is one of my favorites. It has largely run rampant in one section of the garden, but is easy to remove. That’s the best kind of plant to have I think.
Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’
Silvery foliage of Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’ has been attractive for months. Behind it Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Ruby Slippers’ adds a colorful layer.
Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’ (Wormwood), Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Ruby Slippers’ (Lil’ Ruby dwarf Oakleaf Hydrangea)
Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’ (Wormwood), Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Ruby Slippers’ (Lil’ Ruby dwarf Oakleaf Hydrangea)
Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Ruby Slippers’ (Lil’ Ruby dwarf Oakleaf Hydrangea)
The jewel-like hue of Butterfly Bush is even more dramatic in the rain.
Buddleja davidii ‘Adokeep’ (Adonis blue Butterfly Bush)
Buddleja davidii ‘Adokeep’ (Adonis blue Butterfly Bush)
Columbine makes a nice ground cover throughout portions of the garden.
Aquilegia canadensis (Eastern red columbine)
Exceptionally colorful this year the dogwood is forming a nice crop of berries.
Cornus florida (Flowering Dogwood)
Cornus florida (Flowering Dogwood)
For now the garden still offers plenty of color. Hope you are finding nourishment in your own way today.
pbmGarden 
Ohhh, gorgeous. You often remind me of things I miss from my Atlanta garden…Itea (beautiful cultivar) Oakleaf Hydrangea, Powis Castle and the Iris is lovely. How tall is that Cleome? A garden can really lift your spirits, wishing you peace.
I need to pull out the remaining cleomes. That one is about 5 feet. Thanks for your good wishes!
What a lot of beautiful flowers you have for this time of year. Our warm weather has suddenly changed to extremely cold coming from the north, I think our summer has gone for good!
Thanks Pauline! Isn’t it hard to see warm weather leaving? Hope you get a bit of reprieve. Our September has been nice but it is usually much warmer.
Pretty, pretty, pretty.
Thank you Judy! For a little while longer it’s nice to have blooms.
Despite the weather ups and downs you’ve had this year, Susie, your garden is looking very good. I’m jealous of the rain, as we can’t really expect any for at least another month and, as there’s talk of another La Nina this winter, it may not amount to much even when it arrives. I hope my own dahlias will pick up steam before the season ends as yours have. I love the hydrangea and dogwood foliage.
Thanks Kris. Hope the rains surprise you soon. I’m missing the light of summer and will miss the dahlias, but they should keep going 2-4 more weeks. Yours have been so beautiful.
I’m amazed that you were colder down south than we were today up north. And your foliage is turning as fast as ours… Do you live in the mountains? Your rainy days pix are lovely, esp. those dahlias!
Well, I’m surprised too Eliza. I live in the Piedmont (central) part of NC, in Chapel Hill. It’s a little cooler this September, lovely days really until this rain started. It’s been down into the 40s at night. The roadsides are covered in daisy-like yellow wildflowers, but we have a good ways to go before the trees turn and lose their leaves. Average frost date is something like Oct 23 I think. Hope to enjoy the dahlias until then.
You have some lovely colour already Susie! That Hydrangea is so pretty and the Cornus too. I like that Artemisia and even looked it up as I want go replace mine which gets goo tall and spreads like mad… unfortunately yours is apparently only hardy down to -10°C which we get even in a mild winter. Has it been an especially good year for your Dahlias? They really have been glorious!
Thanks Cathy. Too bad about the Powis Castle Artemisia. You may want to check again. I found it lives in USA Zones 6 to 9 (I’m zone 7b). Minimum temp for zone 6 is -10° F. (or -23.33°C). MIght survive. More than half of my new dahlias didn’t make it at all. The others limped along all summer, but now they are very happy. Just a few more weeks to enjoy them though!
Thanks. I will perhaps try that Artemisia anyway, so thanks for that info. 😃
Beautiful blooms and foliage! And a reblooming Iris–that’s awesome! You have so many plants still looking fabulous in your garden. Your Dahlia collection is stunning. I wish I had more sun for Dahlias; they just seem to grow tall here and have trouble blooming. Maybe I should start them inside in pots a little earlier in the spring or late winter. They are so beautiful!
Thank you Beth. I’m of two minds about reblooming irises and also azaleas. Both seem to announce spring so it seems odd to have them blooms as other parts of the garden are dying back. That said, I would never turn down a flower!
Love the foliage color on the Oakleaf Hydrangeas.
Isn’t it nice? I intend to add more oakleaf hydrangeas.
What a refreshing tour through the garden, it looks great with so much fresh color! Hard to believe there were ever stretches of drought or unbearable heat.
I’m missing the sun as well. Hopefully it will be a somewhat bright autumn.
Thank you, Frank! It warmed up again here yesterday and today, although a storm cooled things off nicely this evening.